It seems these days that if there’s a new retro funk album out nine times out of ten it’s from a band based in either Melbourne in Australia or Brighton in the UK. In the last few years Melbourne’s been fielding more than its fair share of LPs but here’s the latest from ‘London-by-the-sea’ which sees ten-piece outfit The Impellers deliver twelve track effort This Is Not A Drill. By implication ‘the real thing’, the album features a broad spectrum of groove that has a much less jazzbo sound than its predecessor Robot Legs. Dotted throughout with the occasional instrumental and book-ended by a brace that feature squelchy wah-wah , the album mainly showcases singer ‘Lady’ Clair Witcher. Pon Lo Afuera is a slightly afro-beat flavoured instro, while vocal cuts include the slightly latin-flavoured Do What I Wanna Do and Ting Tings cover – That’s Not My Name. Of more note however are righteous anti-war protest track (Politiks Kills People) and former single – the energetic Knock Knock. This Is Not A Drill, then – the new album from the Impellers. Nobody make any Black & Decker gags…
(Out now on Mocambo)